The Jared Dudley 2009-10 Report Card

Posted on Jun 12, 2010

(Photo by Max Simbron)

Welcome to the third installment of the 2009-10 Phoenix Suns player report cards. Today we look at Jared Dudley.

Individuals can lead by actions or by words. Some can lead by both, and if you are lucky, you have one or two of them on your squad. The Suns are very lucky, they've got a handful of them. As we continue to evaluate the Suns players this offseason, our next baller is one of those rare cases in that his mere appearance on the court inspires everyone around him. I am speaking of no ohter than The Junkyard Dog himself, Jared Dudley.

Jared Freakin' Dudley. Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Here's a guy that makes it worth being a fan. You hear about guys "leaving it out on the court." That's Dudley. He's why you watch the Phoenix Suns for 82 games. You look to him for comfort when the squad starts to go in the tank. Even if you know that a 6 ft 5 inch role playing second unit guy shouldn't be the pulse of your favorite team, he is. He doesn't dunk the ball, he doesn't make unearthly magnificantly athletic plays. He just gets dirty. He's the junkyard dog, man.

You can make an easy argument that in a lot of ways Dudley was an MVP for the Suns this season. He didn't score 30 a game or dish out 11, he didn't grab 15 rebounds, but he did some other things:

Hit pivotal threes

Led the second unit with play and inspiration, not to mention was used as the crunch time lock down man.

Dove for loose balls, battled on the boards against taller, stronger opponents

And he talked. A lot. He chattered. He cracked up the locker room and us media types. His JMZ interviews were crazy and hilarious. If Lopez was the moody little brother with a bad temper, Dudley was his antithesis. When there were moments where Lopez was inconsolable or simply silent, I witnessed Dudley on more than one occasion bring Robin to life. Happy, smiling life. In fact I'm smiling right now as I write. He kept the locker room loose, he said the right things when the team struggled to remind us all the one or two straight losses didn't mean the season was over. And it was easy to believe him.

Here's some numbers:

2009-10 Jared Dudley Statistics

POINTS PER GAME

REBOUNDS PER GAME

STEALS PER GAME

8.2

3.4

1.0

FG%

FT%

3PT FG%

46%

75%

46%

POINTS PER GAME PER 36 MTS

REB PER GAME PER 36 MINUTES

STEALS PER 36 MINUTES

12.2

5.1

1.5

POSTSEASON POINTS PER GAME

POSTSEASON REBOUNDS PER GAME

POSTSEASON STEALS PER GAME

7.6

3.8

1.1

PER (40 MTS)

eFG%

TS%

13.6

58%

62%

Key:Per-rating of a player's per minute productivityeFG%-effective FG%, adjusting for 3pt FG worth more than a 2.TS%-true shooting percentage, taking into account 2 point FG's, 3's and FT's(Stats courtesy of hoops data and basketball reference)

Some Statistical Highlights:

8th in the league in 3pt% among players playing at least 50 games.

2nd in the league in 3pt% among forwards

13th in the league in 3pt makes among forwards

4th in the league in TS% among small forwards (ahead of Durant and LeBron)

So while we can hopefully look to Earl Clark as the heir apparant to Grant Hill, we can count on Jared Dudley bridging the gap. And while it won't be artistic-he won't jump out of the building like Earl Clark or even dunk a basketball like Grant Hill, we know he will go out and make the most of every moment on the floor. He won't take a second off to think about the after party or the ladies waiting for him after the game. Jared Dudley will be in the moment, defending, scrapping, stroking jumpers, and making the most of every NBA moment he can play.

GRADE: A

Poll

What grade do You Give Jared Dudley on His 2009-10 Season?

A+

A

B+

B

C+

C

Less than a C...But when you select this option, you better explain why